The present invention relates generally to lacrosse equipment, and more particularly, to a lacrosse stick with a teaching aid, as well as methods of manufacture and use.
Conventional lacrosse sticks include a basket, or head joined to a handle, or shaft. The head includes a frame that forms a region within which a lacrosse ball can be caught, held or shot. A netting structure is joined with the back side of the frame, typically laced through multiple small holes defined by the frame. The netting structure typically forms a pocket within which the ball is held while a player is in possession of the ball, and can be a determinant factor as to the player's ability to catch, retain and shoot the ball.
Lacrosse is an ancient game that originated with the Native Americans in North America, particularly in the northeastern United States and Canada. Traditionally, lacrosse sticks were made of wood, usually hickory or ash, and were one integrated piece of equipment so the shaft was not a separate and replaceable part. These sticks were handcrafted and varied in quality in terms of strength, weight, feel and balance in the player's hands. These wooden handles were susceptible to breakage, were heavy and had inconsistent quality, which proved disadvantageous from both a playability and safety standpoint. Also, because the shafts and the lacrosse stick head were one integrated piece of equipment, if the shaft broke the entire stick had to be replaced.
In 1967, the molded plastic lacrosse stick head, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,495, was developed, which greatly revolutionized the sport of lacrosse. The invention allowed lacrosse sticks to be mass produced, as well as manufactured with consistency in terms of quality and consistency in shape. Wood shafts continued to be used, although they were still susceptible to breakage and were too heavy as compared to the new non-wood sticks.
In the 1970s, shafts of metallic construction, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,841, were developed. These metal shafts, in large measure, replaced the wood lacrosse stick handles, particularly in the men's game. The advantage of such construction was that the metal shafts could be mass produced with uniform quality, strength and weight, and were generally stronger than wood shafts.
Today, lacrosse stick shafts are made from a variety of materials such as aluminum, chrome, aluminum alloy, titanium, Kevlar, scandium, magnesium, and other composite materials, such as graphite loaded plastics, which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,994, and are lighter and in some cases, stronger, than wood or the first metal shafts. Historically, most improvements to lacrosse stick shafts were directed to the use of new and different materials with minor additional modifications such as knurling or the like as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,918. All handles were very basic in their shape, generally octagonal, elliptical, oval, cylindrical, round or hexagonal or a combination thereof in cross-section and all were straight from end to end.
In lacrosse, the ability to grasp the shaft in a manner and with an ability to handle the ball is critical. It is needed to perform essential activities, such as cradling, scooping, throwing, or shooting the ball. In particular, when cradling the ball, a player needs to grip the shaft such that the outer ends of their fingers are able to roll the shaft into the palm of one's hand. Such a motion is not intuitive, and utilizes muscles not typically relied on in other activities or sports. As such, it is a difficult task to perform by a user, and difficult to teach for a coach.
Typically, manufacturers design handles for sports shafts that require variable hand placement without a grip as it makes the manufacturing process easier. To improve grip, players often use athletic or gauze tape on their shafts in locations that coincide with their hand placement in order to improve stick control, produce faster shots, serve as a tactile cue for hand placement when stick handling, and accommodate their individual playing style and preference.
Much of the attention in improving lacrosse sticks, has focused on improving its grip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,079 to Tucker, Sr., for example, teaches a variable hand placement sports equipment shaft or handle, such as a lacrosse stick, that includes a shaft and at least one overlay attached to the shaft at a location of frequent hand placement that contains ribs, grooves, hourglass and conical shapes. The overlays are preferably made of a material that is soft, pliable, deformable and tacky so as to provide the player with a better grip on the handle. Similar overlays are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,355 to Schulten, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,270 to Smith, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,868 to Ward.
Furthermore, other modifications to shafts for improved handling are available in the prior art. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publications 2005/0130759 and 2005/0130773, both to Hayden et al., teach lacrosse sticks with an improved grip and feel due to expanded portions and contoured locations for users' hand(s). An inward tapered portion and expanded portion allegedly assist a player in controlling the shaft, cradling a ball, passing and shooting.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,031,161 to Hamel discloses bulbous portions adapted to more comfortably fit the shape of the human hand and grooves to provide inter-engaging portions into which a hand becomes partially molded. U.S. Design Patent D475,425 S shows a cricket bat with a contoured handle, which may accommodate finger gripping. Other types of contoured shafts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,528 to Duplin, U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,730 to Brine, Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,918 to Lewis, Jr.
Despite the attempts to improve player grip, little attention has been paid to making a lacrosse stick which can help a user curl his or her hands with the lacrosse stick in the hand in order to promote cradling and other activities with the stick. A big impediment to proper instruction of lacrosse is the inability of new users to curl the stick in their hands.